Su Yang crouched beside the corpse of the Mountain Gorilla.
Using his fingers, he carefully searched through the beast before retrieving a glowing red beast core.
The core was only about the size of a pebble, yet concentrated spiritual energy pulsed within it.
"So this is a Rank Two beast core…"
Su Yang examined it curiously.
He could feel the violent energy contained within the small object.
After a moment, he placed it inside his storage ring.
"One."
He stood and looked deeper into the Seven Rings Forest.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"That isn't enough."
Without hesitation, Su Yang ventured deeper.
Farther down the mountain, numerous cultivators had gathered within the safer regions of the Seven Rings Forest.
Many of them had stopped hunting entirely.
The terrifying shockwaves from the battle earlier had travelled all the way from the inner region.
Some weaker cultivators had even been knocked from their feet.
"What kind of battle was that?"
"Did you feel that shockwave?"
"Of course I did! I nearly coughed blood!"
Several cultivators stared nervously toward the deeper regions.
"Which Senior is fighting inside?"
"From the roars earlier, that sounded like a Rank Two Mountain Gorilla."
"A Rank Two beast?"
Someone inhaled sharply.
"Then whoever is fighting it must be extremely powerful."
Another explosion suddenly echoed from deeper within the forest.
BOOM!
The cultivators immediately fell silent.
Several birds flew desperately from the trees.
Moments later—
ROAR!
A beast's miserable cry echoed across the forest.
Then silence.
The cultivators exchanged frightened glances.
"Another one?"
"Just how many beasts is that Senior fighting?"
None of them dared venture deeper to investigate.
Meanwhile, the mysterious "Senior" they were discussing was currently standing over another fallen spirit beast.
Su Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He crouched.
Retrieved its beast core.
Then continued forward.
The hours passed.
Su Yang fought one spirit beast after another.
At first, his movements were crude.
Although his physical strength was terrifying, he lacked proper control.
Sometimes he used too much force.
Other times his stance was unstable.
But every battle taught him something.
Earthen Anchor.
Tectonic Cleave.
The circulation of Earth Qi throughout his transformed body.
The synchronization between his breathing, heartbeat, muscles, and bones.
Most importantly—
Control.
By the time the sun began disappearing beneath the horizon, Su Yang could freely control the first stage of the World-Crushing Tectonic Mandate without accidentally destroying everything he touched.
His body-refinement technique had finally become something he could use naturally in battle.
Su Yang looked toward the darkening sky.
"Mother will kill me if I'm late again."
That thought alone was enough to end his training.
He quickly left the Seven Rings Forest.
On his way home, the smell of roasted meat suddenly entered his nose.
Su Yang stopped.
His stomach growled.
He looked toward the nearby inn.
After fighting spirit beasts for most of the day, he was starving.
"Mother probably hasn't started dinner yet…"
That was all the justification he needed.
Su Yang entered.
The inn was crowded.
The moment he stepped inside, several people recognized him.
Judgmental gazes immediately fell upon him.
Some whispered.
Others openly sneered.
Su Yang ignored them.
He found an empty table and sat down.
"Food."
The waiter approached.
"What would Young Master like?"
"Anything. Just bring plenty."
The waiter stared at his torn and slightly damaged robes.
"Plenty?"
"Plenty."
The waiter nodded and hurried away.
Soon, several plates arrived.
Su Yang immediately began eating.
As he ate, he quietly listened to the conversations around him.
Unsurprisingly, almost everyone was discussing the Seven Rings Forest.
"I heard some powerful cultivator entered the inner rings today."
"I heard it too!"
"Powerful cultivator? That person was definitely a Senior!"
Su Yang continued eating.
Another man enthusiastically joined the conversation.
"My cousin was training inside the forest. He said the shockwaves alone nearly injured him!"
"Exactly! Whoever that cultivator was, he must have slaughtered several powerful spirit beasts."
"I heard even a Rank Two Mountain Gorilla was killed!"
Su Yang raised his cup and quietly took a sip.
The corners of his mouth curled upward.
Powerful cultivator.
Senior.
Earlier today, these same kinds of people had called him trash.
Now they were praising him without even realizing it.
Su Yang almost laughed.
If they knew the powerful Senior they're praising was sitting right here, they would probably cough blood.
Then someone spoke.
"My brother actually saw the cultivator from a distance."
Su Yang's hand paused.
"Oh?"
Everyone became interested.
"What did he look like?"
"He couldn't see his face clearly, but he remembered the clothes."
Su Yang slowly lowered his cup.
The man continued.
"He was wearing blue robes with a black belt around his waist."
Silence.
Several people instinctively looked around the inn.
Then—
Someone pointed.
"Wait."
Every eye gradually turned toward Su Yang.
"That…"
The man stared at his clothes.
"Isn't that exactly what Su Yang is wearing?"
Su Yang calmly continued chewing.
The inn remained silent for approximately three breaths.
Then—
"HAHAHAHA!"
The entire room erupted into laughter.
Su Yang's expression became blank.
Someone slapped the table.
"Su Yang? The mysterious expert?"
"Hahahaha! Stop! My stomach hurts!"
"Maybe the Rank Two beasts saw his cultivation and died from laughter!"
Another person shouted.
"That's Su Yang we're talking about! He's been stuck at the Second Level of the Spirit Realm for years!"
"Exactly!"
"Trash becoming an expert overnight? Impossible!"
Su Yang lowered his gaze.
He continued eating.
Ignore them.
That was what he had told himself earlier.
There was no reason to reveal his strength because of meaningless words.
Then—
The inn doors opened.
Several young cultivators entered.
At their front was someone Su Yang immediately recognized.
Fu Yancheng.
Fu Yancheng entered alongside several of his cronies.
"What is everyone laughing about?" one of them asked.
A nearby cultivator eagerly explained the situation.
Fu Yancheng looked toward Su Yang.
Then he laughed.
"Him?"
His cronies immediately joined him.
"Hahaha!"
Fu Yancheng walked closer.
"The mysterious expert of the Seven Rings Forest is Su Yang?"
He looked Su Yang up and down.
"What kind of joke is this?"
Su Yang continued eating.
Fu Yancheng's smile became increasingly mocking.
"Perhaps our famous trash finally discovered some heaven-defying cultivation technique."
More laughter erupted.
Su Yang tightened his grip around his cup.
Ignore them.
"Or perhaps," Fu Yancheng continued, "he defeated those Rank Two beasts by boring them to death with his useless cultivation."
Crack.
A fracture appeared across Su Yang's cup.
Nobody noticed.
Fu Yancheng's cronies were laughing so hard that some clutched their stomachs.
Su Yang's jaw tightened.
Enough.
He had endured their ridicule for years.
He had ignored their insults.
Ignored their laughter.
Ignored their bullying.
But something inside him had changed.
Perhaps it was recovering Xiao Feng's memories.
Perhaps it was finally understanding his own strength.
Or perhaps he had simply grown tired of allowing people to step on him.
CRACK!
The cup shattered inside his hand.
The laughter gradually weakened.
Su Yang calmly stood.
He placed several spirit coins on the table.
Then he headed toward the exit.
Fu Yancheng laughed.
"Oh?"
He deliberately stepped into Su Yang's path.
"Trash can't handle a little mockery?"
Su Yang ignored him and walked around.
Fu Yancheng's expression darkened.
Being ignored irritated him far more than an insult would have.
He reached forward and grabbed Su Yang's robe.
Or tried to.
Su Yang casually shifted sideways.
Fu Yancheng grabbed empty air.
His expression changed slightly.
He tried again.
Su Yang moved.
Again—
Nothing.
The laughter inside the inn gradually disappeared.
Someone frowned.
"Did he just dodge that?"
Fu Yancheng's face reddened.
"You!"
He suddenly threw a punch.
This time, Su Yang stopped moving.
His hand shot upward.
PA!
He caught Fu Yancheng's fist.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Fu Yancheng stared at his captured hand.
He tried pulling it back.
It didn't move.
His expression finally changed.
"You—"
Su Yang looked into his eyes.
For years, Fu Yancheng had bullied him because he knew Su Yang was powerless to retaliate.
Not anymore.
Su Yang tightened his grip slightly.
Fu Yancheng's face twisted.
"Let go!"
Su Yang did.
Fu Yancheng stumbled slightly backward.
Then—
Su Yang stepped forward.
His fist moved.
No Tectonic Cleave.
No Earth Qi.
No body-refinement technique.
Just a simple punch backed by a tiny fraction of his new physical strength.
BANG!
His fist connected with Fu Yancheng's face.
CRACK!
The unmistakable sound of bone breaking echoed throughout the inn.
Fu Yancheng's head snapped sideways.
Blood flew from his mouth.
The entire inn became deathly silent.
Someone's chopsticks fell onto the floor.
Clack.
Every mouth hung open.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody moved.
They simply stared.
Fu Yancheng slowly turned his head back.
Blood trickled from his nose.
His cheek was already beginning to swell.
But strangely—
He did not immediately attack.
He was too shocked.
The boy he had bullied for years…
Had hit him.
Su Yang hit me?
His mind could barely process what had happened.
Even more shocking was the fact that he had failed to stop it.
Su Yang calmly shook the slight numbness from his hand.
He looked at Fu Yancheng.
His voice was quiet.
"Don't touch me with your dirty hands again."
Fu Yancheng remained frozen.
Su Yang turned toward the exit.
Nobody attempted to stop him.
As he walked toward the door, the people who had been mocking him moments earlier instinctively moved aside.
A path opened.
Su Yang stepped through the doorway and disappeared into the evening streets.
For several breaths after he left—
The inn remained completely silent.
Everyone stared at the doorway.
Then they looked toward Fu Yancheng's bloody face.
Finally, someone whispered the question now occupying everyone's mind.
"Was that…"
He swallowed.
"…really Su Yang?"